As one of the great custodians of the Colorado River we were intrigued by the recent article in The Desert Sun (“Solar and wind are booming, just not in the California desert,” May 8) about the purported competition between two other critical natural resources: the sun and desert lands.

Water. Sun. Earth. They are the lifeblood of our people, and our way of life, both in Arizona and in California.

The article suggested that the noble goal of more solar power is slowing here because President Obama too generously decided to protect large swaths of our desert surroundings, making it more difficult to build solar projects on them.

Various points of view were expressed, but in expressing our opinion now it’s what wasn’t included that we wish to inject into the discussion. Namely, that the federal government when it does permit large-scale solar, or other projects, has done a terrible job of communicating and mitigating what can be substantial impact on the cultural resources of our ancestral homelands. This criticism is specific, but not limited, to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

We support solar power. We support new business. But is it right to allow any proposal, or the federal government, to run roughshod over the burial grounds of our ancestors? Would any readers support allowing a homebuilder or project to redevelop a cemetery where your family or people lay in the Creator’s good graces only to ignore what lies beneath?

You see, our ancestral homelands extend far beyond our tribal reservation of some 300,000 acres in both Arizona and California. They extend onto the very public lands discussed by The Desert Sun’s article. We are deeply committed to the ongoing protection of such resources located both on- and off-reservation. Harvesting the sun is a wonderful and noble goal but projects that do so must not trample on our ancestors.

Let us provide readers just one example: BLM authorized construction of the 2,000-acre Genesis Solar Energy Project on land once occupied by the ancestors of our Mohave members. The project involved significant grading resulting in the removal of almost 3,000 cultural resources, including manos and metates (stone tools held sacred in Mohave culture), hammerstones, flakes, cores, a stone pendant, and shells, over our vehement objections. These artifacts are now stored in places where we have no access. We have repeatedly asked for reburial rights only to be ignored with letters unanswered, arrogance and unpreparedness.

These reasons and examples are why our Tribal Council recently adopted a more aggressive and comprehensive Government to Government Consultation Policy. Our sovereign government must be treated with more respect, as should be the case with all native peoples, in matters that impact our lands, environment, and heritage.

Recent years have seen the devolution of such consultation into patronizing, perfunctory, low-level interactions. This must change so there can be an ongoing, dynamic relationship between federal agencies and the Tribes.

Lack of change will lead to unnecessary litigation and the delay of solar and other projects because of the federal government’s callous ways and the clear legal rights we have that are being ignored. We enthusiastically back new congressional legislation to rectify the situation.

Energy. Wasted energy. All of this is due to the neglect of federal officials who should know better.